Plastic spine construction for books



Jan. 26, 1965 s. H. DENGLE ETAL 3,167,328

PLASTIC SPINE CONSTRUCTION FOR BOOKS Filed Aug. 6, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lA/ VENTORS SYDNEY H. DENGLE A/VQ W/LL/AM M-KOWEN 30 ATTORNEXS' Jan. 26, 1965 s. H. DENGLE ETAL PLASTIC SPINE CONSTRUCTION FOR BOOKS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 6, 1962 INVENTORS SW/VE) H DENGLE AND W/LL/AM M KOWEN 9' ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,167,328 PLASTIC SPINE CONSTRUCTIQN FOR BGGKS Sydney H. Dongle and William McKowen, Des Moines,

Iowa, amignors to Meredith Publishing Company, Des Moines, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Filed Aug. 6, 1962, Ser. No. 215,127 6 Claims. (Cl. 281-29) This invention relates to a plastic spine construction for books of the permanently bound type.

One object of our present invention is to provide a spine construction comprising outer and inner spine members which are secured together. with a back member of page covers interposed between them, the pages of the book being adhesively secured to a fabric element on the inside of the inner spine member which has portions passing around the side edges of the inner spine member and interposed between the outer surface thereof and the back member or" the page covers whereby the expense of fabrication when compared with Smyth sewn books is substantially less, yet quality and durability of the book are substantially increased.

Another object is to provide the spine members secured together by a post-and-perforation arrangement wherein a connecting post has a head which snaps through a perforation to provide a permanent connection between the spine members.

Still another object is to provide page covers and a flexible back member connecting them together, such back member being interposed between the spine members.

A further object is to provide side flanges along the :outer spine member which overlap the side edges of the inner spine member, and confine between such edges and the flanges that portion of the back member that extends from the spine members to the back edges of the page covers and serves as a hinge means for the page covers.

Still a further object is to provide a fabric element partially or completely surrounding the inner spine member to which the pages of the book are adhesively secured and which gives a superior opening action for the pages of the book after the same is assembled.

An additional object is to provide a modified form of construction in which (instead of the posts and perforations) the outer spine member has channel-shaped flanges along its side edges to overlap and partially enclose the side edges of the inner spine member to thereby retain the parts of the spine construction assembled,

' spots of adhesive being used advantageously between certain surfaces of the spine construction to prevent undesirable longitudinal movement of one spine member relative to the other and/ or to any part of the bound book.

With these and other objects in view, our invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of our plastic spine construction for books, whereby the objects above contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in our claims and illustrated in detail on the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7 are unsectioned diagrammatic views similar to FIG. 3 showing four steps of the assembly, the fifth step being illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is an end elevation of a book including our spine construction and illustrating the way the leaves lie flat when the book is open; and

FIG. 9 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 showing a modified construction.

On the accompanying drawings we have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate the pages of a book and 12 the page covers thereof. An outer spine member 14 and an inner spine member 20 are provided formed of plastic material such as polypropylene, polystyrene, nylon, delrin or the like. The outer spine member 14 is molded with side flanges 16 and post-like projections 18 terminating in heads 26 as shown in FIG. 2, and the inner spine member 20 is molded with perforations 22 having counterbored portions 24. Four or five of the projections 18 and likewise four or five of the perforations 22 are spaced along the backbone of the book, this number being suflicient as a connecting means between the two spine members for the average size book.

The page covers 12 may comprise binder boards 28 covered outside with fabric or paper 30 and inside with fabric or paper 32 (which may be double-thickness as shown only in FIG. 2). The arrangement is such that the fabric or paper 39 and 32 extend between the spine members 14 and Ztl for anchoring the page covers to the spine of the book and to provide hinging means for the page covers between the left hand edges of the binder boards 28 shown in FIG. 2 and the right hand edges of the flanges 16.

Page mounting means in the form of a strip of fabric 34 is provided which as shown in FIG. 3 has a layer of adhesive 36 centrally on one side thereof and two strips of adhesive 38 (also shown in FIG. 4) on the opposite side thereof. The curvature of the outer spine member, 14 is sharper than the curvature of the inner spine member 20, as will be seen in FIG. 3, for a purpose to hereinafter appear.

The parts of the spine construction are assembled as illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 7, FIG. 3 showing the general assembly and FIGS. 4 to 7 the steps. The first step as shown in FIG. 4 consists of melting the adhesive 36 by heat and securing the inner edges of the pages It) to the fabric 34 in a suitable press, after which the second step consists of wrapping the outer flanges of the fabric 34 around behind the back of the inner spine member 20 and adhesively'securing them thereto as shown in FIG. 5,

the glue strips 38 being heated for this purpose and the glue between the fabric and the pages, and between the fabric and the back of the inner spine member, being illustrated by means of stippling 36a and 38a respectively in FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7.

Next the back member comprising the elements 34) and 32 (after the binder boards 28 have been assembled therein) are wrapped around the back of the inner spine member as shown in FIG. 6 and the assembly is ready to receive the outer spine member 14. This is brought to the position shown in FIG. 7, the inwardly inclined flanges 16 being sprung over the edges of the inner spine member as illustrated, and the head 26 brought to engagement with the inner wall of the perforation 22 of the inner spine member. Thereafter pressure is applied in one direction to the pages of the book along the plane thereof and in the opposite direction to the outer spine member to force the heads 26 through the perforations 22 until they snap into the counterbores 24 as shown in FIG. 2 which is the final assembled position.

Since the curvature of the outer spine member is sharper than the curvature of the inner spine member, by comclamping pressure to the assembly along the outer 'margins of the spine members as well 'as' along the center where the posts'and perforations vprovide the desired presa ra ss it will be realized that the I I,

curvature of the outer spine member has been made flatter i in FIG. 2, and that of the inner spine member sharper untilv they conform with each other thus applying the desired i spine member, a curved inner spine member, a fabric elesure whensnapped together. Subsequently when the book is opened as in' FIG. 8, 'th'e fabric 34 will readily b'end away from-the inner surface of the innerspine member 20 as illustratedin FIG 8 and permit the book to lie flatf". This is one of the main'advantages' of adhesively securing the pages of the vbook to the fabric 34 andassoci- 'ating the fabric with a curved inner spine member as disclosed.

In. the modification shown in FIG.- 2a, a sheetmetal ;We claim as our invention; I

1. In a spine construction-forbooks, a curved-outer ment inside said inner spine member and at least partially around the outside thereof, book pages adhesively secured -to that portion of said fabric "element on the inside of said inner; spine member, that portion of said fabric ele-' ment on the outside of said inner spine member being adhesively securedtosaid outside thereof, page'covers having a back member interposed betweensaidspine inemhers, and means for holding said spinemembers assembled on'opposite 'side's'of said back member.

2; The spine construction ,ofclaim 1 wherein said last meanscomprisesintegral headed connecting posts on'one innerspine member a replaces the plastic spine. member-20, and the posts 18a of the outer spine member 14a are headless. The perforations 22a areslightly-smallerin diameter than the posts, and are so constructed and arof said spine members,'the other of said'spine members having perforations to receive said posts, said perforations being slightly smaller than the heads of said posts to re-.

. quire forcing therethrough whereby a permanent connecranged in the area immediately surrounding the perfora-F I tions as to permit insertion ofthe posts but prevent their removal whereby the spine members are locked together. The area referred to may for example be cone shapecl'as shown in FIG. 2b and provided with slits 23 in the manner of a Tinnerrnan? fastener. Some of the: heavierbooks require greater holding power than afforded by the all g plastic constructionzof FIG. 2 and this maybe-accomplished by the FIG. 2a construction wherein the edges of the opening 22a, due to the cone shape shown in FIG. 2b, permit the post 1801 to be readily'inserted but theretion of said spine members to each otheris effected.

V 3. The spine construction of claim 1 whereinsaid inner spine member is formed of. metal and said last means comprises integral...connecting :posts on said outer spine member said inner spine member having perforations after fbite into the surface, ofithe post upon any reverse movement of the post.

In the modification shown in FIG. '9 the-posts '18" and the perforations 22 are omitted,'.iand the outerand inner spine members illustrated andreferred to as14a and 26a.

maybe of substantially the same curvature inIrelationto" I each other. Instead of the flanges 16 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, however, channel-shaped flanges 16a are provided and serve to partially enclose the edges of the inner spine member 20a to effect assembly-by longitudinal sliding.

of the outer spine-member 14a .over the assembly of inner spine member 20a, fabric tube 34a and back (member 3032.

In this instance the fabric page mounting means' 34a.

Slightly smaller in diameter than said posts whichare so sconstructedmand arranged in'the area immediately surrounding said perforations as topermit the insertion of saidiposts'therethrough but prevent their withdrawal therethe enter one being sharper than the curve of the inner one, afabric element inside said; inner spine memberand at least'pa'rtially around the outside thereof,book, pages adhesively secured to that portionof saidfabric element on the, inside of said inner spine memberppage, covers hav- .ing a back member'interposed between said spine memis in the form, of a tube completely surrounding the inner spine member, and to prevent undesirablelongitudinal movement of the spine members relative to each other and relative to the back memberofthe book, spaced spots of adhesive 40, 42 and 44 are provided'between the tube 34a and the inner spine member 20a; between the tube 34'and' theback member element 32, and between the back member element 30 and the outer spine. member 14a respectively. The final'assembly of the'rnodified construction shown in FIG. 9 results in a book that opens and lies flat in substantially the same manner asal'ready described in connection withFIGSL 1 to. 8 inclusive. 7

Some changes may be made in theconstruction and arrangementof theparts of our plastic spine construction without departing from the real spirit and purpose of our invention, and it is our intention to cover by our claims any modified forms-of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which'rnay reasonably be included within their scope. Y

:bers, and means along the center-of said spine members for securing them together, said means extending through said.backfmember and drawing the outer surface of said fabric. element and the inner surface of said outer spine .member into contact with theinnerand outer surfaces of "said back member. r V 1 6. The spine construction of claim 5 wherein said; last vmeans comprises integral headed connecting posts on one of saidspine'members, the other of said spinemembers having perforations to receive said post's, said perforations being slightlyv smaller thanthe heads of said posts to re- ,quire forcing therethrough-to provide apermanent'type connection.- a

{References Cited in-the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 501,276 Hoffman July 11, 1893 2,017,220 Schadef Oct. 15, 1935 1 2,154,516 i LEnfant Apr; 18, 1939 Schade Dec. 4, 1945 

1. IN A SPINE CONSTRUCTION FOR BOOKS, A CURVED OUTER SPINE MEMBER, A CURVED INNER SPINE MEMBER, A FABRIC ELEMENT INSIDE SAID INNER SPINE MEMBER AND AT LEAST PARTIALLY AROUND THE OUTSIDE THEREOF, BOOK PAGES ADHESIVELY SECURED TO THAT PORTION OF SAID FABRIC ELEMENT ON THE INSIDE OF SAID INNER SPINE MEMBER, THAT PORTION OF SAID FABRIC ELEMENT ON THE OUTSIDE OF SAID INNER SPINE MEMBER BEING ADHESIVELY SECURED TO SAID OUTSIDE THEREOF, PAGE COVERS HAVING A BACK MEMBER INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID SPINE MEMBERS, AND MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID SPINE MEMBERS ASSEMBLED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID BACK MEMBER. 